We buried the dead in the small cemetery attached to the castle. I sent Iago ap Gruffyd, his wife, servants and men under guard, back to Chester. I knew not if there would be ransom but I wanted them out of the way. I could have been mean-spirited and made them walk but I let them take all their belongings. The lady had lost enough as it was. Sir Iago looked like a shell of a man for he was broken; his world had ended when I had entered his castle. While we settled in to the castle I sent Sir Richard, Sir Fótr and Sir Mark to the coast to ride towards the straits which separated the mainland from Anglesey. If an army was coming, they would need boats to cross as there was no bridge. I told them not to dispute the passage with the Welsh but to let Sir Robert and I know when they were approaching us. If Sir Robert did not arrive then I would defend the castle against the Welsh. I did not want to for I had seen, already, its weaknesses.
While we waited, I found out how our men had behaved during the most unusual night attack. Even Sir Geoffrey was impressed that such a subtle strategy had worked. While our men began to clear the buildings in the lower bailey after we had sent all the people who lived there away, I rode with just the knights, squires and pages towards the coast. I had not had word yet from Chester but I assumed that Sir Robert was on his way or would be soon. Until we knew the exact numbers of the enemy, we could not begin to plan how to defeat them. I had already done half of the first task set to me by King Henry. I had taken Twthill but all of that would be for nothing if we were defeated in battle and the castle was retaken.
As we rode, I spoke to my remaining knights about the dilemma, “I am tempted to burn Twthill to the ground and throw the debris into the ditches. That way the Welsh could not reoccupy it.”
Sir Henry of Wulfestun said, “And if Sir Robert wishes to build a castle there then we have done him a favour.”
I nodded, “But I do not know this knight. He may not see it as I do. He might not see the need to build in stone. The King has promised him the Clwyd for his own but until I meet the man then I do not know my course.”
Sir Geoffrey, my brother-in-law, was an older knight. He had fought alongside my father and me on the border and he was a methodical man. “It seems to me that, until we meet the man, we leave the walls where they are. If this army is too strong for us then we can use the walls until Sir Robert does arrive.” He smiled at me. “But you think he will be here soon and seek a good battlefield!”
I laughed, “There you have it. I do not wish to fight from behind Twthill’s walls. We have something the Welsh do not, we have knights and men at arms. We can also counter their most serious weapon, the war bow. I am looking for a place where we can use both to our advantage and not the Welsh.”
We had forded the river and I looked up and downstream. I pointed to the tiny hamlet of Rhyl which lay at the mouth of the river. “Between here and the sea the river cannot be forded. It is why this was chosen as the site for a castle. It defends the river.” I pointed upstream, “In that direction lies St Asaph. We know that St Kentigern is revered by the Welsh and that is seen as a holy place. There is also a bridge across the river.”
Sir Peter, whose castle at Whorlton lay in a similar country, pointed to a tiny knoll to the southwest of us. “If we ride there then we can spy out the land. It all looks flat from here but I know that can be deceptive.”
We headed towards the wood-covered knoll. When we reached it, I saw just six hundred paces from us, the old Roman Road which led from St Asaph towards Anglesey. There was a road which ran along the coast but the Welsh would not use it. It stopped at the mouth of the river. They would advance up the stone road built a thousand years ago. I dismounted and walked to the edge of the knoll. We had not seen the road because of the knoll and the trees. There were farms but they farmed livestock and trees had been left in the fields to provide shelter for animals in winter. Anglesey was the place to grow cereals.
I waved my knights to join me. “The Welsh do not know us. The men of the Tees Valley have not campaigned here in numbers. They will expect Norman knights. This knoll seems to me to be a perfect place to hide our archers. We can array our knights and men at arms to deny the Welsh the road to St Asaph. We either attack them, if we are superior in numbers or, if not, then we draw them on to our archers here on this knoll.”
We rode down to the road and saw that the ground was perfect for horsemen. Although it undulated there were no serious holes to trip an unwary horse. We would be able to hold our formation. We headed back to Twthill. The smoke from the buildings we had destroyed told me that Alan Longsword and our men at arms had done what I had asked and burned the buildings from the outer bailey so that we had more room for our men. If we were forced to defend the castle then we would not be encumbered by buildings and we could now camp the whole of our army in what had been the outer bailey.
Sir Robert arrived that evening. He led thirty knights along with a hundred and fifty men at arms and forty archers. The archers were fewer in number than I might have hoped but they were Cheshire archers and they were good. We had to get to know one another quickly and so I led him into the hall of Twthill.
I confess that I liked Sir Robert straight away for he had humour. The orb he had recently lost was covered with a black eye patch and, as we climbed the stairs to the hall he said, “I see you have noticed my little wound! Damned Welshman who took it had the audacity to ask for a second bout! I told him that he had had one and I intended to keep the other. I have now done with tournaments!”
We entered the hall and I nodded to Geoffrey to fetch wine, ale and food. “There is food aplenty, Sir Robert, for they had laid in stores in anticipation of our attack.”
He nodded, “Sir Gilles told me that you suspected a spy in my household.” I nodded and he shrugged, “There may well be. I am not as lucky as you, Sir William, I have not campaigned with my men and come to know them. But forewarned is forearmed. I may look foolish but I am not. I have good men and I will find this spy. If any try to leave they will be followed.”
Geoffrey served the wine and food, “Now see that we are not disturbed.”
We toasted each other and Sir Robert said, “You have done that which was asked of you, Sir William, you could, with head held high, return home to your valley.”
“I could but I promised the King three months and that I would make this valley ours. I have two more such campaigns to undertake and if I left early then all the good work we have done could be undone. You are to build a castle here and rule. I would not leave you in jeopardy.”
He smiled, “I heard that you were an honourable man and I can see that it is so. What is your plan? Tell me yours and I shall tell you mine!”
I liked his openness, “My men watch for the Welsh. I have found a place where we can stop them just a few miles away. That is my priority. Lord Iago told me that he had sent to Aberffraw for reinforcements and so when this Welsh army is defeated then you can build your castle while I secure the land between here and the straits.”
“You are confident then?”
“If we use our men to the best advantage then unless they have an army in the thousands then I think that we can prevail.”
“Good, then I will place my men under your command. I have not been idle. I was late to the muster for I went in disguise to scout out the lands along the coast. The King wants a castle here and I thought to see what other sites were available. I found one on the coast at a place called Fflint but I realised it is too remote. I had not seen this one until today but I did see it at Dyserth, a good site which is both high and defensible. More importantly, it has rocks close by. At the moment I am torn between rebuilding this one in stone and building a new one at Dyserth. What do you think?”
I liked his thinking and I was impressed that he had taken the time to scout the land. It is what my father would have done. “If you were to build here then you would have to destroy what was already here. If this Dyserth is a place you can defend then I would burn this to the ground and then use Dyserth but it is further from the river, is it not?”
“But it is on the road from Twthill to Chester. Had you not ridden at night to make your attack then you would have seen it.” He laughed and took a long drink of his wine, “By the way, that was a bold move. I thought that I was as mad as a fish, for that is what men say of me, but I can see that I have competition from you.”
“Then if you are settled, we shall do that. We will begin to destroy the castle tomorrow for the Welsh cannot be far away and the pall of smoke rising from Twthill might hasten their arrival.”
“Then let us enjoy a good feast here this night!”
We set the men to cook the food which had been left by the Welsh and we were almost done when a rider sent by Sir Richard and my scouts arrived. It was Roger Long Leg. He was brought into the hall and dropped to a knee. “My lord, Sir Richard sent me. The Welsh are camped on the other side of the River Conwy. By tomorrow they will be here. Sir Richard keeps his men a mile ahead of the Welsh and we have eliminated some of his scouts.”
Sir Richard had not obeyed my orders but I understood why he had not done so. “They are following the Roman Road?”
“Aye, my lord.”
“Go to the camp and get yourself some food. Send Idraf to me.”
He hurried off and Sir Robert said, “So we fight tomorrow?”
“Perhaps. It is almost a day’s ride to the Conwy. We may be able to attack them when they camp. However, I will send for Sir Richard and his men as we shall need every warrior we can muster. I wish to leave an hour before dawn. We will fire the castle before we go.”
He stood for most of the knights in the hall were his, “Finish what is before you and then warn the men that we leave before dawn, tomorrow we test our mettle against that of the Welsh.”
Idraf arrived, “I want you to ride to Sir Richard. Bring his men to the hill close to Bodelwyddan. You know where it is?”
“Aye, lord.”
“Discover from Roger Long Leg where they are camped. Take two men with you.”
“Aye, lord!”
It was only as he left and Sir Robert and his knights departed that I realised I had not yet spoken with Sir Gerard. I spied him, alone, as the rest left and I waved him over. “Sir Gerard, it was remiss of me not to welcome you and thank you for bringing the rest of my men.”
He shook his head, “Do not try to deceive me, lord, I know that you sent me there for you did not trust me.”
“That is not true, Sir Gerard, although it is true that I know you the least of all of the knights that I lead. If anything, I was deceiving the spies who watched Chester for I wished to approach Twthill unseen. Now you are here and tomorrow you will have the chance to fight.”
He nodded, “I have learned much on the road and while I was in Chester. I do not yet know what kind of knight I shall be. I now see that before I was sent to Hartlepool, I was a callow and untrained boy. I may still be and tomorrow will test me.”
I shook my head, “You have still a long way to go. Tomorrow will be hard but I wish you to survive.”
“I will try, my lord, but if I may be honest, I am fearful that I will be found to be wanting.”
“And that is what all of us feel before we go to battle. Tonight, find Brother John and confess. It is always easier going into battle knowing that your soul is cleansed.”
“Aye, Sir William, and I will try not to let you down.”
I had much to do and I sought Geoffrey and Dick to tell them what was needed. Dick was now almost an old hand. Geoffrey had taught him well. He was a child but he knew his way around the camp and the castle. The two of them happily went to do my bidding. I would sleep in the lord’s chamber for one last time. Before I retired for what I knew would be but a couple of hours of sleep, I went to the camp to speak to my men. It was as I approached the main gate when I heard an altercation. Drawing my sword, I ran towards the sound.
I found Sir Robert with four of his knights. On the floor lay a man at arms. Sir Robert had his sword at his throat. “Well, Sir William, I have discovered my traitor. This man, Edgar of Crewe, is the one who betrayed our plans to the Welsh.”
The man protested, “My lord, you do me wrong. I am loyal.”
“Then why were you leaving? What made you decide to depart? Was it that I had just told all of my men that we were going to fight the Welsh tomorrow?”
“No, lord, I just needed to make water.”
Sir Robert laughed, “And for that, you needed a horse?” The man was silent. Sir Robert turned to his captain, “Captain Richard, you know Edgar better than any. Sir William here says that the Welsh knew I was coming. One of my men had to have told the Welsh so if it was not Edgar who do you think it was?”
“It is Edgar, my lord, for suddenly many things make sense. When we were told, before Christmas, that we would be coming here he begged leave to visit his mother in Crewe. When he returned, it was with a full purse. He told us that he had made the money gambling in his home town.”
Sir Robert nodded, “No one else leaves this castle before we all leave. If you wish to make water or empty your bowels then do so inside the walls. Is that clear?”
The whole camp, it seemed, had been listening and they all shouted, “Aye, lord!” No one would have any sympathy for a traitor who had taken money to betray them.
“Captain Richard, have his shield brothers take him to the priest to confess and then hang him from the gate!”
“No, my lord!” The man’s crimes had been discovered and he would die. Suddenly the coins he had been paid did not seem enough.
The six men with whom Edgar shared a camp dragged him, kicking and screaming to the priest Sir Robert had brought with him. “Thank you, Sir William, had you not warned me I might not have been as vigilant. Captain Richard here suspected Edgar once I told him your news. We had him watched and I had men at the gate. I think that we may well achieve surprise when the Welsh do finally arrive!”
I had just an hour of sleep. We moved all of the horses and wagons across the river having taken some of the timbers from the outer wall to make a crude bridge while we prepared the castle for firing. The body of the traitor swung in the gateway but once the castle was fired it would disappear. We lit the fire in the keep first and then the men put brands to the walls. The timbers were old and dry. They would burn well. As we gathered on the western side of the river, we watched the sky lit by flames. We were too far from the Conwy for it to be seen but as dawn broke, they might spy the tendril of smoke which would mark the end of Twthill Castle. We left the wagons at the river and they would be guarded by the servants and wagon drivers. I led the way as we headed the few miles to the knoll.
Sir Richard was there already and most of the men and knights he had taken were snatching sleep. He looked dirty and unshaven. They had been living rough. He gave me a wan smile, “I shall be glad to get back to Hartburn after this, Sir William.” He turned in his saddle and pointed south, “I was not certain that any would be coming for we saw no signs of them. I am afraid we were forced to slay their first scouts for they did not come down the road as we expected and they surprised us. One spoke before he died and we learned that Prince Dafydd ap Llewellyn leads the army. Once we knew that they were scouts I sent archers to watch closer to the island. They are moving more slowly than we anticipated for they are largely on foot. We counted just eighty mounted men and most are knights. They have twenty or so scouts, and hobelars while the rest are men on foot. They have two hundred archers and five hundred men on foot.”
I heard one of Sir Robert’s men take a deep breath and I smiled, “Tell me Sir Richard, how many of the men on foot are mailed?”
“Less than a hundred.”
“You have done well.” I turned to my knights and Sir Robert. “We place the archers here on the hill and dismount the men at arms. We place their horses behind the hill so that they are not seen and then put our knights in two wings on either side of the dismounted men at arms. We will hold them a little back from the men at arms to tempt the Welsh forward. I will lead my knights and you, yours, Sir Robert. We place our banners with our squires on the knoll but above the men at arms. I want them to come for our standards.”
“Then we fight a defensive battle?”
It was a simple question and I nodded, “If they do not attack us then we shall attack them but they are largely on foot. They have to shift us, regardless of our strength. If they see us and turn to flee then we will slaughter them.”
Satisfied, he said, “Sir Baldwin, go and give the orders.”
I gathered the squires around me, “Today, you will pretend to be the knights which, one day, you will become. You will ride your master’s spare warhorse and carry his banner. I want them to think that we have a reserve of knights mounted behind the men at arms. Pages, you will play at knights too. You will carry banners.”
The way that they cheered me you would have thought I had honoured them in some way. They were the bait to try to draw the Welsh through our men at arms and up the hill.
It was late in the afternoon when the Welsh arrived and when they saw us on the knoll they halted. I recognised the royal banner and knew that Prince Dafydd was with them. Their levy, the men on foot immediately formed into a huge block in case we attacked them. They were a hedgehog of spears, pikes and homemade pole weapons. The nobles gathered around the standard and their leader, the Prince. I mounted my horse and headed down to my men. I had taken Tom of Rydal from my men at arms and he would sound the horn when it was needed. If we had to charge then he would charge as a knight. I joined my knights and I could tell that they were eager. They had fought together many times and Taillebourg was forgotten for here it was not a king who led them but a knight of the valley and a descendant of the Warlord. It was a great responsibility which rested upon my shoulders. The exception was Sir Gerard. He had no squire with him and was an outsider. I rode next to him. “Sir Gerard, come and ride on my right!”
“But that is the place of honour! You need a good knight to protect that side!”
I laughed to put him at his ease, “And all of these have already ridden to my right. Sir Richard will guard your right and we shall see how you do. You fight with the finest of knights and I am certain that you will rise to the occasion.”
His voice dropped, “Lord, I have never fought in a battle!”
I nodded, “I know. Then this will be interesting for you, eh? Just remember all that my men taught you. Stay close and all will be well.”
Then I put the novice knight from my thoughts for I wanted to view the Welsh. If they did not attack but made a camp then I would attack them. They would be tired and we had had time to scout out the land. I had set a problem for the Welsh Prince. Neither option was one he would have chosen when he left Anglesey but he had superior numbers and if he declined a fight then many men would desert and a man who deserted would be reluctant to fight a second time.
It soon became obvious that they would attack for horns sounded. Their priests arrayed themselves before the lines of men who formed for battle. I had my helmet on my cantle and I stood in my stirrups to afford a better view. The Prince was going to use the battering ram of his levy to try to break my men at arms. Their archers were forming up before the levy and they would rain arrows on my men at arms. Every horseman that they had was facing me and my handful of knights.
Turning in my saddle I waved over one of the mounted servants we had brought. “Ride to Sir Robert. When their archers form up, he is to attack them with his knights and then withdraw.”
“Aye lord.” I doubted that the messenger understood how I had known what the enemy would do but I had been fighting wars and battles for a long time. Some things were so clear to me that I often wondered how other men could miss them. I watched the rider head to Sir Robert knowing that we had time to prepare for their attack. This would be an attack on foot and they would take time to approach close enough to fight. Alan Longsword and our men at arms would know what was coming. They would hold up their shields and endure the arrow storm. They were all mailed and most of the Welsh arrows would be wasted. My archers would await the arrival of the Welsh levy. Our arrows would strike flesh for most of those approaching had no mail.
Once the priests had finished then the horns sounded and the archers moved forward. They scuttled and ran. To their front, there were no archers but that did not detract from the worry. Their very movement, however, created a weakness for they had no cohesion. They halted two hundred and fifty paces from my men at arms and that meant that they were just four hundred paces from Sir Robert and his knights. Every knight rode a warhorse and they could cover that four hundred paces in a very short time.
My messenger returned and nodded, “He will do as you command, my lord!” His reply told me that the outcome of that battle rested squarely on my shoulders. If things went awry then I would be to blame.
I saw the Welsh archers stop. Once again, they showed their lack of discipline. Had it been English archers then one would have commanded them. They began to release their arrows. They were strong men and good archers but that first shower, which should have been delivered as one black cloud of metal tipped death fell haphazardly. Some were short and some were long. My men at arms were able to track the flights of individual arrows and to block them with their shields. Of course, some arrows managed to get through and men at arms were hit but none were killing blows.
The archers had run towards our men but the levy marched. They were led by their own leaders, the headmen of the villages and towns from whence they had come. Their ranks were interspersed with men at arms. These were not professionals such as we employed. These were the richer men from the towns and villages; the ones who could afford a hauberk, helmet and good sword. These did stay together for they saw our two wings of horsemen. Once they were engaged then they would be happier and more confident.
Sir Robert was a tournament knight. One of his strengths was the judgement of pace and he chose his moment to charge perfectly. He gave no warning to the Welsh archers; he sounded no horn and he launched his warhorse and his men with a wave of his lance. He did not need to hit the line as one for the archers had, obligingly, spread themselves out to give them the space to pull back their bows. The thunder of the hooves of the knights alerted the Welsh and those on the left side of the Welsh line turned to send their arrows at the charging knights. Many of the leading horsemen had a caparison for their mounts. The thick material did not stop an arrow from penetrating but it slowed and sometimes diverted the arrowhead. They were some protection for the horses. The mailed knights shrugged off the arrows which hit metal, mail and strengthened leather. The Welsh had few bodkin arrows and the war arrows would struggle to penetrate mail and would do no harm to a helmet. By the time that the bulk of the Welsh knew they were in danger, the first archers had died. An archer wears no mail and his bow without an arrow is a stick! The lances and spears of the knights found flesh with each strike and Sir Robert and his men had almost reached us by the time that the survivors had fled. I saw him raise his visor and even caught his words as he shouted, “Reform!” He raised his lance in salute and wheeled his horse to ride back to his starting position.
When he had attacked the levy had halted, closed ranks and presented a hedgehog of spears and pole weapons. When the knights retired then they continued their march. The sun would set in an hour or so and if it did then this would be a most interesting battle for, in the darkness, it was hard to tell friend from foe. I knew that my archers would each have an arrow nocked but their bows would not be drawn. Their elevated position gave them extra range. More than half of them would be hidden by the mass of men at arms. Idraf commanded them and I heard his voice as he commanded, “Draw!”
I was close enough to them to hear the creak of yew as my powerful archers pulled the bows back prior to release.
“Loose!”
The arrows seemed to whistle like the wind and rose high in the late afternoon sky. This was not the haphazard attack of the Welsh; this was ordered and disciplined. I heard the second flight as I watched the first descend to strike the Welsh levy when they were just fifty paces from the men at arms. The Welsh knew the effect of arrows and they raised their shields. Even so, men fell for their shields were small round ones. Some were struck by arrows which were deflected by missiles which ricocheted from the shields and helmets of their comrades. However, the fact that some fell encouraged the rest to charge, somewhat prematurely. They knew that the archers would have to stop once they were engaged and they saw that they outnumbered our thin lines of men at arms. I saw, at the forefront of the men at arms, my men. The Viking stood head and shoulders above the rest and I saw that he was flanked by Alan Longsword and Kurt the Swabian. Any Welshman who managed to pass those three would be a worthy warrior!
It was at that moment that their prince committed himself to his attack and that meant he was trying to destroy me and my handful of knights. I heard the Welsh horn and, as he raised his own lance, I shouted, “Tom of Rydal, sound the charge!”
I heard Sir Robert’s horn and knew that his men would charge the flanks of the levy and dismounted men at arms. All we had to do was to blunt the Welsh horsemen and Sir Robert would have the victory as he fell amongst the Welsh, like wolves in a sheepfold.
Sir Peter, next to me, laughed, “Here is a jest! Less than twelve men charge one hundred! There will be plenty for us all!”
My other knights cheered. I knew that Sir Gerard would be fearful but this was not a reckless gamble. The Welsh Prince had put his hobelars with his knights and that was a mistake. They could ride faster than the knights and they would be the ones we would strike first. Our smaller numbers meant that we could ride boot to boot and hit them like a war hammer. I spurred Lion and we began to canter. Looking down the line I saw that Sir Gerard was not yet in control of either himself or his horse and I said, “Steady!”
The hobelars rode smaller horses than ours and they were armed with a couple of throwing javelins. A well-thrown javelin could penetrate mail but to throw a javelin well from the back of a galloping horse was not an easy thing to do. We closed rapidly but while the Welsh were at full speed we were still accelerating. I was at the centre of our arrow and so the first horsemen came at me. To be fair that meant hitting the men who rode with me at the same time. The young Welsh warrior who charged at me had just a leather cap and jerkin for protection but he was brave. He pulled his arm back and hurled his first javelin at me and then tried to wheel away. He miscalculated. I watched a javelin come at me and flicked up my shield. There was no one behind me and the javelin which struck my shield bounced and landed on the ground. I pulled my arm back to spear the young warrior but his horse had slipped when he wheeled too quickly and he tumbled from its back. I managed to pull on the reins to make Lion jump while the other hobelars jerked their horses to the side to avoid crushing their comrade. Some managed to hurl their javelins but five others joined the Welsh warrior whose head was crushed by Lion’s hoof as he landed. Thanks to the jump I was slightly ahead of the others and I reined in to allow Sir Peter and Sir Gerard to rejoin me.
The hobelars had been broken and now we faced the knights. These were more organised and ordered but some had urged their steeds forward. Here, our small line was an advantage for some of the Welsh were cutting in front of others to try to get at us. In doing so they baulked and blocked others. That, in turn, slowed down and congested their attack. Now that we were in one line again, I spurred Lion and he leapt forward. I had short spurs and I would be able to stand in my stirrups. If the Welsh followed the French fashion then they would have longer spurs, which were easier to use, but meant you could not stand in the stirrups. I had hoped to face the Prince but I saw that thanks to the disorder of the Welsh, I would not. He would face Sir Henry of Wulfestun. Sam was next to the young knight and would watch out for his friend. I faced a knight with a spear and a yellow shield with a blue diagonal line. The lack of a dragon told me that he was not related to the royal family.
I was twenty paces away when I stood in my stirrups and pulled back my right arm. I would be striking at his right side. Sir Peter would have to protect my shield side from the other Welshman who was riding at me. I would be striking down and the Welsh knight striking upwards. We both lunged at the same time. Our spears passed in the air and I drove mine down towards his middle. It struck the wood of the cantle and was driven into his stomach. His spear came towards my eyehole; it was a well-judged blow. I had good straps on my helmet but if my spear had not eviscerated him then it would have been torn from my head. As it was the spear fell from his dying arm and I allowed my spear to slip, covered in gore, from his body. I saw that Sir Gerard was still close by and that his spear was bloody.
I had no time for self-congratulation for the battle was at a crucial stage. I needed to break through the Welsh knights and halt their charge. I could not see Sir Robert Pounderling but I knew that he must have torn deep into the levy and that with our archers and men at arms on two sides of the Welshmen then victory would be ours just so long as I kept the Welsh Prince from attacking my men at arms.
I had managed to reach the third line of horsemen. These were the ones whose mail and weapons, not to mention their horses, were not as good as the ones we had just faced. As I pulled back my arm to lunge at the knight who faced me, I saw that he had an open-faced helmet and looked young. Once again it was spear to spear and this time, I did not stand for his horse was smaller than mine. As our spears crossed, I felt pain as his spear broke through the mail on my right arm and the spearhead scored a line along my flesh. My spear struck him squarely in the chest and he tumbled backwards from his horse. I had broken his mail and that saved me from worse injury than a flesh wound.
I heard a Welsh horn and knew that we had won. We needed to make it a complete victory. If Sir Robert was to build a castle and subdue this part of Wales then we needed all opposition to be ended. I reined back a little and looked along my line. I saw an empty saddle. I also saw that the sun was setting behind the knoll. The Welsh levy was streaming back towards the Roman Road and Sir Robert, as well as my men at arms, archers and squires, were pursuing them. It would not be a pleasant sight for Dick and the other pages. The Welsh who fled would be speared and hacked in the back. If they turned to face their pursuers then they would be overwhelmed. Their Prince had gambled and lost; he was mounted and would escape but his people would pay the price.
I raised my visor and shouted, “Try to get the Prince!”
If we could capture Prince Dafydd then he could be imprisoned in the Tower and I would not need to return in a year’s time.
The Prince had his household knights with him and there were also knights who sought an honourable end. As the Prince and his closest knights hurtled towards the road ten or so of the others turned to try to halt our pursuit. We were both almost at a standstill when we met. The Welsh knights were being brave, if not realistic. Already some of Sir Robert’s knights were racing to join us and the Welsh knights would lose. Sometimes it is more about honour than realism. The Welsh knight who rode at me still had his lance and he rammed it at me. A wooden lance only caused damage if delivered at speed and this one was not. It shattered and splintered on my shield without hurting me at all. My spear had a metal head and I rammed it at him. As he threw away the broken stump of the lance, he blocked my strike with his shield. As he was attempting to draw his sword, I feinted at his shield which he promptly raised but my thrust was aimed at his thigh and it tore through his chausse; blood spurted. He rammed his shield down and broke the shaft of the spear, which had more than done its duty.
We drew our swords together and I spurred Lion to close with him. The blades clashed and rang. Sparks flew. The Welshman had a good sword and this one would neither bend nor buckle. I stood in my stirrups and brought it down towards his head. Although he raised the shield and blocked the blow it was such a clean strike that it split the shield. He attempted a sideswipe at me but my shield blocked it easily and, delivered from a seated position, it lacked the power of my strike.
“Yield, Sir Knight, for you are wounded and your shield is split. Your Prince has escaped and you have done all that honour demands.”
“Never!” He raised his sword again.
I saw that most of the other knights had surrendered but this one was going to fight to the death. He did not have the chance to deliver the blow for Tom of Rydal rode up and, reversing his spear, slammed it into the side of the knight’s head so that he fell unconscious to the ground. Tom grinned, “Just helping him to make the right decision, my lord!”
I saw that the battle was over. Darkness had almost fallen and there was little point in further pursuit. We would not be able to catch the ones who had fled but we had won and Sir Robert could build his castle. We had, however, paid a price. I saw that some of Sir Robert’s knights had fallen and of my knights, only myself, Sir Geoffrey and Sir Henry Samuel were unwounded. I did not count the minor flesh wound as a wound! That the wounded knights could still speak and were conscious told me that their wounds were not life-threatening but King Henry had, once more, cost the men of the valley their blood.